Iranian state media reported on Friday that the nation had activated its air defence programs over the central metropolis of Isfahan, to convey down three aerial objects, amid sounds of explosions. Flights have been briefly suspended in lots of components of the nation, earlier than the alert was lifted.
US broadcasters, quoting senior American officers, reported that Israeli missiles had hit Isfahan. Iranian officers stated they have been nonetheless confirming the supply of the obvious assault by drones, whereas Israel has not commented on the incident.
Meanwhile, Syria’s state-owned SANA information company quoted a army official as saying that missile strikes within the early hours of the morning had broken air defence websites within the nation’s southern area. The report blamed Israel.
The explosions in Isfahan and the assaults in Syria come amid a gradual escalation in tensions between the 2 Middle Eastern nations since Israel started its conflict on Gaza. While Israel and Iran have been locked in a “shadow war” for many years, current months have introduced tensions to a boiling level — and prompted worries a couple of wider regional battle.
Here’s a timeline of that current escalation for the reason that Gaza conflict broke out following an October 7 assault on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas.
October 7: Hamas-led assault on Israel
Hamas launched a shock assault dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood inside southern Israel. Hours after the assaults, Israel started its bombardment of Gaza, pledging to defeat Hamas however concentrating on largely civilians — each by way of bombs and a tightened siege that has left the enclave on the precipice of a famine. More than 33,000 folks have been killed in Gaza since then, largely ladies and youngsters.
Iran denied any prior information of the Hamas assault or any involvement in it, however Israel has constantly blamed Iran for its help of the Palestinian group that is part of the so-called axis of resistance, a Tehran-led casual alliance of varied gamers within the area, together with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthi insurgent teams, the Syrian authorities, and teams in Iraq. Over the course of its conflict on Gaza, Israel has come into friction with a number of teams throughout the axis.
October 17: Iran warns of ‘preemptive measure’ in opposition to Israel
Hezbollah and Israel had been exchanging fireplace throughout the Lebanese-Israeli frontier for days when Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian instructed state TV: “Naturally, resistance leaders will not allow the Zionist regime to take any action in Gaza, and when it feels reassured about Gaza, move on to other resistance areas in the region”.
“Therefore, any preemptive measure is imaginable in the coming hours,” he added.
This was a day after Amirabdollahian’s assembly with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Also on October 17, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned Israel for its conflict on Gaza and threatened a response.
“If the crimes of the Zionist [Israeli] regime continue, Muslims and resistance forces will become impatient, and no one can stop them,” Khamenei warned. “The bombardment of Gaza must stop immediately.”
November 19: Yemen’s Houthis seize a Red Sea ship
Yemen’s Houthi group, an ally of Iran, seized management of a cargo ship within the southern Red Sea.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi army spokesman stated the ship’s seizure was in response to the “heinous acts against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank”.
While the Houthis stated the ship was Israeli, Israel stated it was a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo vessel with no Israeli nationals on board.
Since then, the Houthis have constantly focused ships related to Israel or the United States within the Red Sea.
December 18: Iran accuses Israel of cyberattack
A cyberattack halted operations of about 70 p.c of Iran’s gas stations.
Iranian state tv and Israeli media shops each reported that Israel-linked group Predatory Sparrow, or Gonjeshke Darande in Persian, was behind the disruption.
December 25: Israeli strike kills prime Iranian basic in Syria
Iranian state media reported that an Israeli air strike exterior the Syrian capital of Damascus killed Sayyed Razi Mousavi, one of many prime commanders and senior adviser in Syria of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Mousavi was chargeable for coordinating the army alliance between Syria and Iran.
January 15: Iran strikes ‘Mossad centre’ in northern Iraq
The IRGC launched ballistic missiles at what it claimed was an outpost of Israel’s Mossad spy company in Erbil within the Kurdish area of northern Iraq. At least eight explosions have been heard in Erbil, 4 folks have been killed and 6 have been wounded.
Almost concurrently, Iran additionally struck targets allegedly linked to the ISIL (ISIS) group in northern Syria. The IRGC stated it was defending its safety and countering “terrorism”.
January 20: Iran accuses Israel of bombing a Damascus constructing, killing 5 IRGC members
The IRGC stated 5 of its army advisers have been killed in an Israeli air raid on a residential constructing in Syria’s capital, Damascus.
Syrian state media SANA stated that “Israeli aggression” had focused the constructing within the Mazzeh neighbourhood.
February 10: Iran warns in opposition to a full-scale Israeli assault on Lebanon
Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian stated throughout a go to to Lebanon that Iran had by no means sought to increase a conflict within the area.
However, he warned that any widespread assault by Israel on Lebanon can be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “last day”.
He added Tehran will proceed “its strong support to the resistance in Lebanon, as we consider Lebanon’s security as the security of Iran and the region”.
February 21: Iran blames Israel for fuel pipeline explosions
Iran’s principal south-north fuel pipeline was attacked twice, disrupting provides in a number of provinces.
Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji alleged that the “explosion of the gas pipeline was an Israeli plot”.
March 1: IRGC commander, two others killed in suspected Israeli assault in Syria
An assault within the Syrian port metropolis of Baniyas killed an IRGC member and two others.
Iranian state information company IRNA stated Reza Zarei, a member of the IRGC, had been “killed at dawn today by the usurping Zionist regime”.
“Reza Zarei, the man who was killed in Baniyas, was in charge of Iranian oil shipments to Syria. According to analysts, Israel is targeting these high-value targets to cut the link between the command in Tehran and local actors in Syria affiliated to Iran,” reported Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, from Beirut in Lebanon.
April 1: Israel assaults the Iranian consulate in Damascus
The Iranian consulate in Syria’s Damascus was destroyed in a suspected Israeli air strike.
Thirteen folks have been killed on this strike, together with Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a Quds Force senior commander of the IRGC and his deputy General Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi.
Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian described the assault “as a violation of all international obligations and conventions” and blamed Israel. Several Iranian officers stated that Iran had the best to execute a response to the strike.
April 13: IRGC seizes Israel-linked ship close to Strait of Hormuz
Iranian armed forces seized the Portugal-flagged MSC Aries close to the Strait of Hormuz.
The MSC Aries reportedly departed from a port within the United Arab Emirates en path to India. It is related to the London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of the Zodiac Group run by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer and his household.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in an X publish that the transfer by Iran was “a pirate operation in violation of international law”.
April 13: Iran launches a whole bunch of missiles, drones at Israel in a primary
In an in a single day escalation, Iran launched greater than 300 drones and missiles in opposition to Israel, in an assault that Iran dubbed Operation True Promise. This was the first-ever direct strike on Israel from Iranian soil.
The missiles have been largely shot down exterior of Israel’s borders with assist from the US, the United Kingdom and France, stated the Israeli army. Jordan additionally shot down among the missiles geared toward Israel as they have been flying by way of Jordanian airspace.
Patients sustained minor accidents and a seven-year-old lady was severely injured by missile fragments.
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